Inspired by Beauty in Nature

I wanted to write something on these lines anyway, but I just saw a comment on my ‘Where was I’ blog – suggesting would not one rather be somewhere like Cape Town; so here it is.

I have never been to a tropical country (or to the continent of Africa) and recently when exhausted it has been my standing joke with my family to dramatically announce to them that I am off to Antigua. The image of the turquoise waters, the azure blue sky, the white sand and the glorious sunshine is, I feel, the ultimate idea of escapism. And so, one dreams on.

Recently, reading Marya’s poetry on My T and looking at her beautiful seascape photographs as well as a specific image the floater posted of pure white (Australian) sand made me yearn to be by the sea…but I wanted to be somewhere with white sand. A friend told me about a place on the Norfolk coast that may well be the kind of place I would like. However, this is the month of March and we are in Britain. Undaunted, I kept a close look on the weather forecast. All I needed was a dry day. On the first available opportunity we were off to the Norfolk coast.

It took surprisingly little time on the road. The sea air was bracing and I felt a spontaneous sense of peace, at one with nature. We had the beach almost to ourselves. The solitude was otherworldly. The sun struggled to come out from behind the clouds and I was glad I had my thickest cardigan on. Yet, I felt magic as we discovered beautiful shells on the sand and collected smooth vivid-coloured pebbles. We walked endlessly by the water – the great expanse of pale grey-blue inspired serenity. The birds were beautiful and the sand was sparkling. The cool, fresh air only added a certain dimension to the invigorating feeling. The drive back home was through the coastal villages of north Norfolk which were a delight to behold. The day ended with a feeling of complete fulfilment.

It affirmed for me that one can create one’s heaven wherever one is. Nature is beautiful in all its forms, from the most basic garden flower to say, the exquisite lushness of a tropical island. I wanted to be somewhere like Antigua but I recognised the impossibility of it. I chose to go to a place less than two hours drive from home on a cool, greyish day, but I discovered heaven because my heart found peace and contentment. I recognise the awe-inspiring beauty of the world of nature and I know there is so much splendour on this earth and to experience it all must be a privilege. Until I am fortunate enough to do so, I am very happy in the limited sphere of my world because I believe bliss is a very subjective emotion.